A New Perspective
by White Tigress in the Moonlight
Summary: Sam and Valerie are paired together on a project. This could prove to be a very awkward situation, but it could also prove to build a friendship that neither girl expected.


**I have discovered that I really enjoy writing Danny Phantom fics. This idea just came to me the other night. I was wondering what would happen if Sam and Valerie were basically stuck together and this just popped into my head.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any books or movies mentioned.**

* * *

><p>There were a lot of people Sam Manson didn't like. But, none of them without just cause for dislike.<p>

Paulina, for instance. She had done so much to Danny over the years, constantly using him to get to the 'Ghost Boy'.

Or, Dash. How many times had Dash picked on or beat up Danny and Tucker? The answer: too many for Sam _not_ to want to knock his lights out.

Kwan and Star had their moments, but, in general, Sam didn't dislike them.

Then, there were all the ghosts that attacked them. Naturally, she didn't like them.

She didn't _hate_ anybody, but she did come pretty close with everyone who messed with her boys. Yeah, that's right, _hers_. She was as overprotective of them as they were of her.

Now, of course, the ghosts never stopped bothering them, but once everyone found out that Danny Fenton was Danny Phantom, their opinions changed.

Paulina tried to push Sam out of the picture, Dash treated him like one of the popular kids, and the whole school began to look at the trio as heroes. Which, technically, they were. The fame was nice, for a while, but then it got old.

And all the people whose opinions changed once they found out about Danny's not-so-little secret got closer than they already were to hatred in Sam's eyes.

Now, there was one person in particular who Sam neither liked nor disliked. In her opinion, that person was just there. _Most _of the time.

That person happened to be Valerie Gray.

Of course, Sam and Valerie had at one point been on very unfriendly terms. That all ended once Danny and Valerie's relationship was over and Danny and Sam's had begun.

They were seniors in high school, so Danny and Sam had been dating for three years, beginning their relationship immediately after Danny got all the other ghosts to help turn the earth intangible to save it from the Disasteroid.

A lot changed that day. Tucker became mayor, Danny became known as a hero (even though he already was), and Sam became not only the girlfriend of the famed Danny Fenton, but also the most envied girl in Amity Park.

But, some things remained the same. Tucker was still techno-geek, Danny was still the klutz, and Sam was still the ultra-recyclo vegetarian goth.

Not that any of that has anything to do with the people Sam disliked, or the situation with Valerie Gray. No, that all started in Lancer's class.

* * *

><p>"Okay, this project is going to be a bit different. You all know each other, since you've been classmates from the beginning of your Freshman year, but how many of you <em>really<em> know each other?" Lancer asked, addressing the same class he'd had for three years.

The teenagers all began to glance around the room, sending each other confused looks.

"Right," Lancer said with a sigh. "So, for this project, you'll be paired up with a person you don't normally spend time with and you'll have to write a report on that person."

Everyone began to murmur about the assignment.

"I swear, if I'm paired with Paulina, I _will_ have to knock her lights out," Sam muttered angrily. Danny and Tucker laughed in response.

"Come on, Sam, it may not be that bad. You might get to like her," Danny responded. She sent him a glare which he laughed at. He picked up her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Okay the pairs are as follows..." Lancer began, the trio tuned him out until they heard their own names being called.

"Daniel Fenton and Dash Baxter. Tucker Foley and Kwan. And the last pair is Sam Manson and Valerie Gray."

The trio glanced at each other nervously.

"Your reports are due in a week."

* * *

><p>"Great. Just great. A week with <em>Dash<em> of all people," Danny complained.

"Come on, D, it may not be that bad. You might get to like him," Sam replied in a perfect imitation of Danny. He glared at her and she kissed his cheek.

"You two are so cute it's disgusting," Tucker complained from behind his PDA.

"Hey, Manson," Valerie called as she approached the group. Sam looked up.

"Hey, Valerie. So... uh... my place?" Sam asked, Valerie nodded.

"How's six? I have to work until then."

"That's fine."

"See you then," Valerie said, walking away.

"Well... that was... odd." Tucker stated, Danny nodded slowly in agreement.

Sam just kept a blank look on her face.

"Sam, are you alright?" Tucker asked. Danny's face immediately flashed in concern for his girlfriend.

Before she could respond, however, Dash and Kwan showed up.

"You guys wanna hit the Nasty Burger to do our project?" Kwan asked.

They shrugged in response. Danny gave Sam a kiss on the cheek and a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder and Tucker patted her arm. They waved as they walked off, and she waved back, before walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Fenton, is your girlfriend alright?" Dash asked, in a rare moment of kindness.

"I think so," Danny replied.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Tucker spoke up.

* * *

><p>It's not that Sam didn't like Valerie, it's that she didn't know Valerie. And besides, how many times had Sam's boyfriend almost been killed by her?<p>

The answer to that would also be: way too many to count.

Plus, she was still a little sore about the whole 'Danny likes Valerie' thing. Even if it _had_ happened three years ago.

She really shouldn't be, but she was nervous. She supposed that was why she had practically left tracks on the floor from pacing.

"Sam, are you okay?" Her grandmother asked, as she rode in on her scooter.

"Hi, Grandma. I'm fine, I'm just waiting for someone," Sam replied, nonchalantly.

"Danny and Tucker?"

"No, a girl from school named Valerie. We have a project to do."

"Oh, well, there are snacks in the kitchen and your parents said to tell you that their trip got pushed back, so they won't be back until next Monday."

Sam nodded at her and waved as she rode away on her scooter.

She figured that she should at least be a good hostess and went into the kitchen to get snacks and drinks. Just as she returned to the living room, she heard a knock on the door. She set down the things in her arms and took a deep breath before opening the door.

"Uh, hi, Manson, um, I mean, Sam," Valerie said in slight nervousness.

"Hey, Valerie. Come on in," Sam said, stepping aside. Valerie nodded her thanks and walked inside, looking around the house in shock.

"Wow, your house is huge," she muttered. She noticed Sam's face turned a deep crimson color.

"Uh, yeah... my family is kind of... loaded."

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone at school? Do you know how popular you could have been? I mean, before the whole 'Fenton is Phantom' thing." Valerie said.

"I didn't _want_ popularity. Besides, there was no way I was leaving Tucker and Danny," Sam explained, quietly.

Valerie smiled slightly and locked that information away for her report.

"Okay, so, I guess we should get started." Sam stated, sitting down on the floor, notebook in hand.

Valerie copied her actions before looking her dead in the eye and beginning the series of questions, starting with the basics.

"So, what's your favorite color?"

"Purple. Yours?"

"Red. What's your favorite book?"

"_Bram Stoker's Dracula_. Yours?"

"_The Notebook_. What's your favorite movie?"

Sam seemed to ponder this one for a moment, before speaking.

"Okay, you cannot laugh at me," she said, Valerie nodded in agreement.

"I love the movie _Breakfast at Tiffany's_."

"Me too," Valerie said, slightly excited. They looked at each other and gave a half smile.

"Wanna go downstairs and watch the it?" Sam asked.

"We are talking about the one with Audrey Hepburn, right?" Valerie asked, trying to figure out if there was another version of the movie.

"Again, don't laugh, I have all of her movies." Sam replied, before getting up and walking downstairs with Valerie on her heels.

* * *

><p>"I have to say, Manson, your movie collection is almost as impressive as your theater." Valerie said.<p>

"Thanks," Sam said, with a nervous laugh.

"But, I never expected you to have movies like _Sixteen Candles_ or _The Breakfast Club_."

"Well, while I will always love scary movies, sometimes I like to watch a movie where people _don't_ get killed and where the guy gets the girl and all that other sappy junk. It's funny, not even Danny and Tuck know about those movies. I usually hide them," Sam said.

"So... why are you telling me?" Valerie asked.

"Well, the assignment _is_ to get to know each other. And, because it's nice to have another girl to talk to sometimes," Sam replied, mumbling the last part. However, it did not go unnoticed by Valerie.

"What about Danny's older sister, um... Jazz? I thought you two would be pretty close."

"Well, we were. I mean, we would hang out whenever Danny and Tucker would decide to have their 'guy time', and we would just hang out in her room and watch movies like these. But, that kind of stopped when she moved to go to college. We still hang out every now and then, though." Sam responded, and Valerie nodded.

"Hey, Sam, let's watch this one," Valerie said, handing her a copy of _The Phantom of the Opera_. Sam nodded and put it in the DVD player.

They both quietly sang along with the music, wondering if the other could hear them.

When the scene of the masquerade ball came on, they both sat up.

"This is my favorite part," they said at the same time, then looked at each other and semi-laughed.

"Maybe we're more alike than I thought," Sam muttered, Valerie nodded her head in agreement.

When the movie was over, both girls stood up and walked up the stairs. Valerie turned when she was at the door.

"Bye, Sam. See you tomorrow."

Sam felt slightly relieved. The day had gone well and she had even found someone who she could share all her sappy movies with. However, she knew it was not yet time to relax. Watching a movie with someone does not automatically make them your best friend.

* * *

><p>"So, how was hanging out with Val?" Danny asked, coming up behind Sam and wrapping his arms around her waist as she stood facing her locker, pulling out her books.<p>

"It was fine," she responded, leaning into his embrace. She refused to give away anymore information than that.

Someone cleared their throat, causing Danny and Sam to turn around, only to come face to face with Tucker, who was smirking.

"PDA much?" He asked. They blushed.

"How was the Nasty Burger with Dash and Kwan?" Sam asked, changing the subject.

Tucker and Danny groaned in response.

"Don't ask." They chorused. Sam laughed in response, before turning to walk off.

As she did so, someone bumped into her, managing to slide something into her hand. She looked back but could not find the person who was responsible. Instead, she looked down and read the note in her hand.

_Sam, meet me at my apartment at six tonight._

_-Val_

Sam crumpled the note and nodded to herself before walking off to her class.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Sam," Valerie's dad said when he answered the door.<p>

"Hi, Mr. Gray, is Valerie home?" Sam asked.

"She's in her room, last door on the left," he responded, stepping aside to let Sam pass.

She walked down the short hallway, looking at all the pictures of Valerie and her dad. When she got to the last door, she knocked and waited. Valerie immediately opened the door and let her pass through.

"So... we didn't really cover much yesterday, did we?" Sam asked, Valerie shook her head in response.

"Tell me some things that you like," Valerie said, sitting down on her bed. Sam sat down in a chair in the corner of the room.

"I like a lot of things," Sam replied.

"Okay, well, tell me your favorite thing. Like, something you own."

Instead of speaking, Sam reached her hands behind her neck and unclasped a chain that Valerie hadn't noticed because it was hidden under her shirt. She tossed the chain to Valerie, which she noticed had a ring on it. It had a blue stone and the word _Sam_ was engraved on the inside. Valerie looked up.

"Danny gave it to me the day they revealed his statue," Sam explained, quietly.

"That's really sweet. Why don't you wear it on your finger?"

"I can be forgetful sometimes and I have a habit of losing things. So, I put it on a chain, and I wear it all the time, that way I'll always have it with me."

Valerie smiled.

"You and Danny really do make a cute couple."

Sam blushed, "Thanks, Valerie."

"That's why we've never been friends, isn't it?" Valerie asked.

"We've never been friends because we never got to know each other. We never got to know each other because we both liked Danny."

"You should know that even when he and I were dating, it was pretty obvious he liked you," Valerie said.

"Well, I'm about to cross some sort of boundary by asking, but, are you over him?" Sam asked.

"Of course! Don't get me wrong, Danny is great and I loved hanging out with him, but I had a crush, you guys have something else entirely. Something special. Everyone knew it, I just figured if you wouldn't make a move, I would."

Sam nodded, "I know I should have done something, but I didn't."

"But, it all worked out in the end."

"But, I thought I lost him that day. When he didn't come out of the Ghost Zone and the specter speeder did, I had never been so scared in my life."

"Sam... what do you hate?"

"The color pink. And nightmares."

"Nightmares? A goth doesn't like nightmares? Aren't you guys supposed to love that kind of stuff?" Valerie asked, jokingly.

Sam laughed a little, "I know, but ever since Danny became half ghost and started fighting other ghosts, I started having nightmares. They've gotten better, but sometimes I still have them after Danny has a big fight."

"I have nightmares, too. Ever since I lost my mom," Valerie said, after a few minutes.

"How did you lose her?" Sam asked, quietly, not really wanting to open any old wounds.

"Car accident. Four years ago."

It was quiet for a while, then Sam stood up and walked across the room, choosing to sit down beside Valerie. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"I'm really sorry, Valerie," Sam said. Valerie looked up at her and smiled.

"Call me Val." Sam smiled, too.

* * *

><p>"You've really never had sushi?"<p>

"I'm an ultra-recyclo vegetarian, I don't eat fish."

"They have vegetable rolls, too."

Valerie and Sam were currently sitting inside a sushi restaurant. It was Wednesday night and they had decided to try new things.

Sam took Valerie to a poetry slam, Valerie took Sam to get a makeover at the mall. They had gone into each others favorite stores and for some reason even picked out outfits for each other (though not outfits that would be out of the norm for either to wear).

They had been taking turns and it was Sam's turn to try something new. Which is exactly why she was prodding a vegetable roll with a chopstick.

Valerie laughed at her. "Like this," she said, as she demonstrated using her chopsticks to pick up her own sushi. Sam mimicked her actions and ate the sushi.

"This is really good, Val," she said with a laugh.

"Great!"

"Okay, now it's your turn to try something new and I have just the plan."

Valerie couldn't help the wave of fear that passed over her. Sam could be scary – just ask Tucker and Danny – and whatever she had up her sleeve did not seem good.

"Okay, now, _what_ are they?"

"They're vegan cupcakes. My grandmother and I make them all the time. Try one, you'll never know the difference, believe me. I got Tuck to eat one once and to this day he hasn't figured it out," Sam explained with a laugh.

Valerie picked one up cautiously and took a bite.

"You were right, I couldn't tell the difference," she said, with a smile.

Ida Manson drove her scooter through the living room of their mansion. She looked up and saw her granddaughter and Valerie sitting on the floor, eating cupcakes and laughing at some show that was on TV. She smiled before speaking.

"Hi, Sammy. Hi, Valerie," she said to the girls.

"Hi, Grandma!" They chorused, she smiled. She loved it when Sam's friends referred to her as their grandmother. Tucker and Danny had been doing it for years. Even Jazz called her that.

It made her feel good. It also made her happy to know her granddaughter was making a new friend. She remembered how down Sam had been when Jazz had left for college.

* * *

><p>"I have an idea. Let's write down what we want most out of life on a sheet of paper and then trade them," Valerie suggested.<p>

"Okay, sounds... good," Sam replied, reluctantly, but she still grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down her life's ambition.

When they were done, they exchanged papers.

"One..." Valerie started.

"Two..." Sam continued.

"Three!" They chorused, opening the folded pieces of paper.

Their eyes simultaneously went wide with shock because they had each written the same thing.

_I want to make a difference._

They looked each other in the eye, coming to a silent agreement to not say anything about it.

"Hey, Val, what's it like to be a ghost hunter, and find out one of your friends is the very ghost you're after?" Sam asked after a long, awkward silence.

"It was weird. I felt guilty and angry at first, but then I realized why he never told me. I mean, I wouldn't have told me either. Were you relieved when he told everyone his secret?"

"I was a little jealous. I mean, it was cool to be one of the only people to know, but at the same time, I'm glad he told people so at least now he doesn't have to get in trouble all the time and he doesn't have to lie anymore. He hates lying. Especially to his parents. I really got angry though when we got back to school and girls like Paulina, who never liked him before, were suddenly all over him."

"Manson, I'm pretty sure if you wanted to, you could easily take down Paulina," Valerie said, lightening the mood.

"No doubt," Sam replied with a laugh.

"I still sometimes can't believe that Danny is a hero and Tucker is the mayor." Valerie said.

"Me either. I also sometimes struggle to believe that I'm Danny's girlfriend."

"You know you're way more than that, right?" Sam looked at her questioningly.

"I think you're just as much of a hero as Danny. You know, if you talk to some of the younger girls around Amity Park, they'll say they want to be like you when they grow up," Valerie explained.

"Val, you're a really cool person. I didn't know how I would like this project but I can honestly say that I've had a good time getting to know you," Sam said.

Valerie, without a second thought, immediately hugged the goth girl, who stood there awkwardly, before eventually returning the hug.

"Thanks, Sam."

"Hey, my parents aren't going to be home until Monday, do you wanna come over tomorrow night? We can have a... uh... sleepover?" Sam asked, timidly.

"I'd love to!" Valerie exclaimed.

"Great! See you tomorrow, Val," Sam said, as she stood and walked out of Valerie's bedroom.

She passed Valerie's dad on the way out and stopped to wave goodbye to him. He smiled at her as she walked out. He was glad to see Valerie becoming friends with Sam. She had been slightly antisocial at one point so he was glad to see her hanging out with someone. Even if it was just an assignment, anyone could see that the two girls were becoming closer.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Sam, you wanna hit the Nasty Burger with us tonight?" Danny asked, as he and Tucker walked up to her.<p>

"Sorry, guys, I can't. Tomorrow for sure, but tonight I have plans with Val," Sam said. She gave Danny a kiss and Tucker a hug before turning and walking out of the building in the direction of her car.

"Did she say she had 'plans with Val'?" Tucker asked. Danny and he exchanged confused glances.

"Weird."

* * *

><p>Sam was setting up the living room for the slumber party, when her grandmother rode through.<p>

"Sammy, I'm going to stay with my sister tonight, have fun with Valerie." She said, when Sam looked up. Sam hugged her before walking with her to help her get into the car. She waved to the chauffeur and said goodbye to her grandmother before walking back inside.

It wasn't long before the doorbell rang, Sam opened it and smiled at Valerie. It was far past the time of awkward greetings when Valerie visited Sam or vice versa.

"Okay, so, you can laugh all you want, but this is my first sleepover so I have no idea what to do," Sam said, sheepishly.

"This is your first sleepover?"

"Well, I've slept over at Tucker's and Danny's houses before, but I've never had a sleepover with girls before."

"I've only had sleepovers with Paulina and Star back when I was part of their group."

"I feel sorry for you," Sam muttered, Valerie burst into laughter and after a few seconds, Sam joined her.

"So what do you do at a sleepover?" Sam asked, after laughter subsided.

"Whatever you want. We always watched movies and did makeovers. Sometimes we played Truth or Dare."

"Well, that's kind of what we've been doing all week," Sam said.

"Yeah, it kinda is. Oh yeah! Before I forget, I brought this," Valerie said, handing her a copy of _Confessions of a Shopaholic_.

Sam laughed and put it in the DVD player. While the previews for other movies were playing, they went into the kitchen and grabbed snacks.

The night went on like that. They watched movies; some were funny, some were 'sappy' as Sam called them, some were scary, and some kept them on the edge of their seats.

While they watched movies, they talked and did each others hair (with protests from Sam) and makeup (more protests).

"You know, you should wear your hair down sometimes. It's really pretty," Valerie said.

"Thanks," Sam said, before she got an idea.

"Wait right here." She ran upstairs and into her parents bedroom, where she found her mothers straightener laying on the counter in the bathroom adjacent to the room. Sam's hair was naturally straight so she had never used it, but that didn't mean that she didn't know how.

Forty-five minutes later, Valerie's curly hair was completely straight.

"What do you think?" Sam asked, handing her a mirror.

"Wow, it looks good," Valerie replied quietly, Sam laughed.

At three A.M., the girls were crawling into their sleeping bags which they had laid out on the living room floor.

"Sam, thanks for inviting me over."

"No problem, Val. I've had a lot of fun this week."

"Me too," was the last thing Valerie said before both girls fell asleep.

* * *

><p>On Monday morning, Sam walked into school to find Danny and Tucker waiting by her locker.<p>

"Hey, guys," she said as she approached them. They turned and smiled at her.

"Ready to turn in our reports?" Tucker asked.

"You bet, Tuck. What about you two?" She asked.

"I didn't really learn much."

"Me either," Danny said.

"But, at least now that this is over we can go back to hanging out, huh?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah, which is good, 'cause I missed my boys," Sam said, standing on her tiptoes to place an arm around each boy's shoulder.

"We missed you, too," Danny said, giving her a quick kiss.

"Seriously guys, get a room," Tucker said, jokingly.

"Oh, shove it, Tuck, you're just mad_ you_ can't get a girlfriend," Sam said. He stuck his tongue out at her and she returned the gesture.

"You guys are so mature," Danny mumbled. They glanced at each other before turning and sticking their tongues out at him.

He laughed, before deciding if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Valerie watched the display from her locker. She hadn't been meaning to eavesdrop, she had just looked up from her locker, only to become engrossed in the comical exchange, before laughing to herself and walking off.

She somewhat hoped that she could be a part of that. That all of the past week with Sam wouldn't go to waste as soon as they turned in their reports.

* * *

><p>Mr. Lancer sighed to himself as he read over the papers. It seemed as though his project had gone to waste. Most of the students barely scratched the surface of their partner.<p>

Dash had written about Danny being the ghost boy and Danny's popularity. He could easily tell that none of it had come from Daniel's mouth. However, Danny's report wasn't much better as all he wrote about were Dash's stats in football.

Most of the papers were like that. Telling Lancer things he already knew.

But, there were two papers that really stood out to him.

Sam Manson's and Valerie Gray's.

* * *

><p>Three days later, when Lancer was handing back the papers, he could see looks of shock on most of the student's faces.<p>

"Most of you learned absolutely nothing from this assignment, but there were two papers in particular I was very impressed with. I won't say whose they were, but I want to read a piece from them." Lancer said, to the class, he held up a paper and began to read it.

Sam's and Valerie's eyes went wide when they realized he was reading their papers. One line stuck out to them in particular.

"She told me she wanted to make a difference, and I had said I wanted the same thing." Lancer quoted from the papers.

They glanced at each other and then looked away quickly.

When the bell rang and after everyone else had left, Sam and Valerie walked up to Lancer's desk.

He smiled at them and handed them their papers.

"Your papers were very insightful and you both grasped the concept of the assignment perfectly. You both got A's."

They looked at each other and traded papers before walking out of the classroom.

Danny and Tucker were waiting for Sam outside the door.

"Ready to go to the mall?" Danny asked, smiling.

"Yeah... wait." She said, they looked at her strangely.

"Hey, Val!" She called down the hall. Valerie turned to look at her.

"Do you wanna go to the mall with us?" She asked.

Valerie hesitated a moment before smiling.

"Yeah, sure, just let me grab my stuff. I'll meet you by your car," She called back.

"When did you two become all buddy-buddy?" Tucker asked, when she was out of earshot.

"Let's just say, after spending a week with her, I got a new perspective," Sam replied.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope it turned out okay, I had a lot of fun writing this. It was very different from what I normally write.<strong>

**I also feel the need to say that I don't normally like romantic movies or chick flicks or whatever (I usually prefer scary movies, even if I can't sleep afterwards), but sometimes they're all I want to watch. But, I'll pretty much only watch them with my best friend. **

**I just thought it would be pretty funny if Sam was into those kinds of movies.**


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